


The day the Hokage disappeared

by Jalaperilo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 20:22:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6535033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jalaperilo/pseuds/Jalaperilo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even the ninja president needs a break.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The day the Hokage disappeared

Looking back, Shikamaru should have seen this coming or at least have known something was up. It wasn’t every day that the Rokudaime was so productive as to have cleared all but one of the stacks of scrolls on his desk. Normally the Hokage would work through his paperwork at a leisurely pace, never seeming to be too bothered that the piles would never diminish. Sure the desk was tidy, but the in-pile was never smaller than a foot tall.

The new technological advancements that were now coming though thanks to money not going towards deterrents towards the other villages made it so much easier to keep on top of things. Cooperation had been more than amicable since everyone had been through the same horrific war on the same side so money was being ploughed into the development of better communications. Though they were still getting used to these new ‘computers’, especially at the rate that they were being upgraded, Shikamaru thought every time he had to step over the mass of data cables running through the buildings that had definitely not been rebuilt with this technology in mind. But the upside was that mission reports and file organisation did go a lot smoother, which suited the Hokage’s work ethic.

Even with the simplicity, the Hokage would ask returning shinobi to summarise their missions in 300 words or less and then stamp the report. Shikamaru had the suspicion that that was more to the man’s declining eyesight than anything else, but still, getting someone to summarise a mission was a hell of a way to get through the backlog of reports. Even the occasional haranguing from the head of his personal ANBU guard didn’t seem to help speed up the process.

Said ANBU captain was currently stood stock still in front of Shikamaru. His shoulders squared and tense. His mask was still on but Shikamaru could easily imagine the scowl that he was wearing. The scowl that he wore most times when the Rokudaime did something foolish. At the door and window on opposite sides of the Hokage’s office stood two other ANBU at attention, their postured revealing nothing as well, but they were ready to move out at a moment’s notice once the order was given. The only other person in the room had only just joined them and was currently staring at a simple note in her hand. She narrowed her eyes before turning to the two of them.

“I don’t understand. How has he disappeared?” Shizune asked, her gaze returning to the piece of paper. The ANBU captain sighed, slumping slightly and took off his mask.

“According to Ro, Lord Rokudaime excused himself to use the restroom. When he hadn’t returned after ten minutes, Ro went to investigate and couldn’t fine him anywhere. A quick search of the building revealed that he was no longer here,” Yamato groused, his face as thunderous as he sounded, arms crossed over his chest plate. Shizune turned to Ro, who was stationed at the door. The guard gave a fraction of a nod.

“That’s when we found this note on the Hokage’s desk,” Shikamaru said, nodding to the note in Shizune’s hand. It was a simple message in a lazy scrawl.

 

                _“Gone for a walk around the village_

_Back at sundown,”_

 

“I can’t believe him! To be this reckless. As the _Hokage_ even! Who knows where he could be!” Yamato had a point, Shikamaru had to give him that. Still. There was more to this than a simple walk.

“How far could he have gotten? It’s been what? Twenty minutes? He could still be in the surrounding forest?” Shizune asked.

“Sunset is still eight hours away. Even if he was going to go the furthest point away in four hours, that gives us a radius of almost 100 miles at his top speed. That is, if he’s even back on time!” Yamato said tersely.

“I don’t think he’d do that. His note says he’s walking around the village. I don’t believe that’s untrue. This may be reckless, but he’s not crazy-,”

“Says you.”

“-if he says he’s still in the village he’ll be here,” Shikamaru finished. That was the most logical conclusion. He’d been advisor to the Rokudaime for a couple of years now. After his vow to be Naruto’s confidant when his time came, Shikamaru had accepted the position under the Sixth as a way of training, getting ready to help his friend in the future. In that time, he had gotten to know the ex-copy-nin better than he ever had known previously. The first real time that Shikamaru had worked with him had been when his team had gone to get revenge on Kakazu and Hidan. Sure, maybe volunteering to go with a team of chuunin on a revenge mission instead of forbidding them did seem irresponsible, but they would have left one way of another. Sure it wasn’t by the book, but it wasn’t reckless. In fact, Shikamaru had come to understand that all of his ‘bad decision’ were always to do with trivial matters.

Matters like going for a walk. How bothersome.

“Regardless, we need to locate him, if only for my peace of mind and blood pressure,” Yamato said, signalling to the two other guards. “Ro. Soku. Search the village, start here and fan out in a spiral formation until you hit the wall then work your way back, contact us as soon as you find him. I’ll check all of his usual haunts and people he could go see.”

The two guards nodded before disappearing.

“We can’t let it get out that we’ve lost the Hokage. Shizune, please run interference. Tell them that the Hokage is in important meetings all afternoon,” Shikamaru said, to which Shizune nodded before crossing her arms and sighing, turning to face the expansive windows.

“If he just wanted to go for a walk, then why not just go for one. No one could really stop the Hokage if he actually wants to do something. We were never able to really stop Lady Tsunade when she wanted to go drink or play the pachinko machines.”

“At least he would have had one of us with him if he had told us,” Yamato said, hands on hips and shaking his head.

“Maybe that’s it,” Shikamaru said, putting his hands in his pockets and looking bored when everyone turned to him. “Knowing how he is, he’s not the type to like a constant shadow at his side. I guess he just wanted to get away for a bit,” Shikamaru said with a shrug. _I’d probably want the same thing in his position._ To be in the position where you were constantly under surveillance 24/7. From when you left the house, as you walk to work, went to meeting, ate dinner, to when you returned and even then, there was probably a sentry standing on the roof. It was laughable. The Hokage was one of the best ninja in the village. He could definitely hold his own against anyone that came after him, but everyone seemed to breathe a little easier if they knew the Hokage had someone watching his back.

“But that’s not his choice! As Hokage he has a duty to the village to protect it, and we have the duty to protect him! Gah! This is so like him! I’m honestly disappointed in myself for not seeing this coming!” Yamato bemoaned as he rubbed at his temples.

“Well, he’ll be back at sunset so we can scold him properly then. In the meantime, I’m gonna go and make excuses to the cipher core for the lack of inspection today,” Shizune said, then left the room.

“I swear, if he comes up with a flimsy excuse like getting lost on the road of life, you’re going to have to lock me up for the assassination of the Hokage,” Yamato said before disappearing. Shikamaru stood alone in the Hokage’s office, trying not to smile. Yamato had always had a short temper when it came to their leader. That was probably from years of mocking he had endured. The Hokage liked to call it gentle teasing. Yamato liked to call it bullying.

Shikamaru looked around the office, eyes finally landing on the desk full of forgotten papers. He supposed, as the last one left in the office, it was up to him to continue with the office work. He could work through the things that didn’t need the Hokage’s personal approval. But that would be such a drag. Though, there was one way that he could get out of doing the work himself. More, there was one _person_ he could get to do it, but would he be able to convince them without spilling the beans? It would involve creative wording, but he probably could do it. Maybe.

He sighed. “Damnit Kakashi.”


End file.
